Karen has appeared in numerous theatre productions on tour and in the West End, following training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Pick out roles include Mrs Robinson in the national tour of The Graduate, Shirley in Shirley Valentine, Annabel in Snake In The Grass, Amanda in Private Lives, Elvira in Blithe Spirit, Thora in Lady From The Sea, Jennet in The Lady's Not for Burning, Paulina in Death and the Maiden, Mother in Frozen, Anna in Closer, all the female parts in The Blue Room, Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, Titania in A Midsummer Nights Dream, and The Canterbury Tales for the London New Vic at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London.

For Rumpus she appeared in the 2015-17 tour of Father Brown – The Curse of the Invisible Man, Sherlock Holmes, and most recently, in The Eleventh Hour.

Her musicals experience includes Blood Brothers, Company, The Rocky Horror Show, Grease, Happy As A Sandbag, Aladdin (Liverpool), The Boyfriend, Salad Days, The Gondoliers, The Pirates of Penzance, They're Playing Our Song, and Mr Cinders.

Her voice talents have been heard regularly in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who Audio Series where, amongst other things, she has lived to be 100, flown to the dark side of the moon and been exterminated by the Daleks! 

In 1989 she co-founded Tabs Productions and they have been touring the country ever since. 2017 saw their first West End transfer, to The Ambassadors Theatre with Anthony Horowitz’s play Mindgame, and in 2012, Tabs took over the reins of the Nottingham Theatre Royal’s annual summer Thriller Season. This year sees their 185th production.

For Rumpus Theatre company, Karen has had the pleasure of directing and acting. Most recently directing The Signalman and appearing in As It Comes. For Tabs Productions producing and directing the 2024 Nottingham Theatre Royal Classic Thriller Season, and appearing as Miss Maple in the spoof Agatha Christie comedy, Murdered to Death.